Oneshot - Live
by River of Broken Souls
Summary: You make me want to live Asriel. Not survive; not exist, live. (Written for the Caesar's palace monthly one-shot competition) Rated T for mentions of suicide.


_Live_

She was gone. Before he could say anything, before he could just reach out and wrap his arms around her, she was gone, running from the castle she called home. Her feet pounded across the stone path, sending up showers of grey pebbles as she ran. Instead of chasing after her, he stood, his bright green eyes following her running form until she was enveloped in the shadows. She was gone.

He didn't understand what he had done wrong. They were talking and she was laughing, head thrown back with her brilliant red eyes closed tight. She was happy.

 _"I'm so glad I have a sister like you."_

She had stopped laughing. It was as if someone had flicked a light switch, one second there's light, and then the next complete darkness. He had reached out to her, asked her what was wrong, but it was too late. Now he was left here, staring at the emptiness where she had disappeared. It only took a few moments for him to run down the same way.

* * *

He found her by accident.

She was just sitting there, staring off the top of the waterfall. Her sweater fluttered in the wind and strands of chocolate-brown hair blew into her pale face. She remained still as if she were a statue, afraid to twitch a single muscle in case she'd bring the whole world crashing down upon her.

At first, he was unsure what to do. If she had run this far it would make sense that she didn't want to be found. On the other hand, he wanted to help her, to protect her. He wanted to make her feel loved. Soon he realized that he didn't have to make that choice.

"Asriel..."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but the wind carried it towards his ears as a song. It wasn't a statement, no. It was a quiet plea for help, and he answered it.

Within moments he was beside her, arms wrapped around her still body. He didn't speak. Instead, he waited. He waited until she was comfortable to speak, if she ever was. He was prepared to wait as long as needed for her to finally speak.

"I'm sorry."

Those words surprised him. She had raised her head, gazing at him with those red eyes, tears still staining her cheeks. The young monster began to speak but she held up her hand.

"Don't."

And so he didn't. The two of them sat there, a monster and a human, his arms around her shoulders as he tried to comfort her. Still, the silence began to bother him. It filled his ears louder than any sound, bearing down on him until he was begging for something, anything to shatter the terrible silence that had taken over.

"On the Surface, I felt empty."

Her words were soft, dragging him away from the crushing silence.

"Everyone was kind to me, but I heard what they said behind my back. They'd treat me like anyone else if I was present, but no one would seek me out of a crowd. I was just an outcast, a thorn among all the perfect roses."

A shaky sigh escaped her lips. She was no longer facing him. Instead, her head was turned upwards towards the starlit roof as if her gaze could burn through solid stone. The stone above was the sky and she was sitting on the grass. Her eyes were unfocused, lost.

"The mountain was dangerous. They told me that if I went to the mountain top, I'd never come back. And yet, that's what I wanted. I didn't come to the mountain for the adventure. I came in hope that I never would come back. I didn't want to go back."

Her voice began to waver, and she paused for a moment, unable to continue. He squeezed gently, encouraging her to continue. With a deep breath, she did.

"When I reached the top, I saw the hole. It was huge, one misstep and you would easily fall in, never to be seen again. Except I didn't fall into the hole. I jumped."

She paused, taking in a shaky breath. A small tear rolled down her cheek until it fell off the side of her face, staining the blue stone beneath her.

"I expected to die. I wanted to. But I didn't, that was the problem. I woke up on the flowers, and I had no idea what to do or where to go. I was trapped. The only thing I could do was call out for help. And within a few seconds, you came. You helped me to my feet and took me to the castle. And when I expected you let me stay in your home for an hour, you never sent me away. You welcomed me. You made me part of your family."

Her eyes were now focused on him.

"You made me want to live Asriel. Not survive; not exist, live."

Tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall.

"I was ready to leave that life behind. You had welcomed me, but I knew I was just going to drag you down. I was prepared to run away from the castle and never come back. I was only going to harm you in the long run. But then, you gave me a name I had never had before. Sister. You called me your sister. That was the last thing I wanted. If you grew attached for me, there was absolutely no doubt that I would hurt you."

Her words trailed off until there was silence. He waited for her to say more, but nothing else came to his ears. Silence. He couldn't stand silence. It was absolutely painful, waiting for something to be said, waiting to know if she was okay. He waited for her song, but nothing came. So instead, he sang his.

"We took you in because you needed someone. We took you in and never let you go. We've grown attached to you Chara, but you've grown attached to us. If you left, we'd all hurt. Dad would be sad that you were gone, Mom would be absolutely devastated, and I wouldn't have a friend. We'd be hurt, but so would you. You are just a kid like I am. If you came across any monster they wouldn't hesitate to hurt you. You'd die Chara. Not only that, but you'd miss us. You've grown attached just like we have, and you'd feel hurt without us."

She was looking at him again, waiting for his next word.

"If you stay though, no one will be hurt. Mom and Dad would still be happy and I'd be even better. And you? You'd finally have a family."

He was facing her, holding her shaking hands within his. She was scared, afraid to hurt them, but he knew she never could. Chara was their light, shinning through the darkness of the Underground. She thought she was hurting them when in reality they couldn't imagine living without her. And when she looked into his eyes, she could see that. She could see that she finally had people that loved her. She finally had a family. She finally had a reason to live.

Not survive; not exist, live.


End file.
